The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-08-26

tract whereby the money which IL Is pro-
posed that your citizens donate in cas
shall all be used in the erection of til,
buildings above described; that none ol
this money shall be used for the purpose
OF buying machinery or for any other inn
provcments; In other words we propps,
that the money which your citizens donate
shall all be used for the construction OF
the buildings necessary for these works,
and that the company provide the machin'
cry which will be required to do these re-
pairs from time TO time as The work makes
1t necessary. wish 1t distinctly under
stood that the company does not propose
to place In these buildings any more ma
chinery Immediately than is necessary for
the repairs and renewals o. the rolling
stock which 1t now owns. This rolling
stock is foi the most part new. and it is
not necf ssary TO have many OF the ma
chimes now which will I've required in order
10 maintain this properly rs itgrows older.
La order that there may be no conflict or
subsequent diff, renee between your citi-
zens aud officers of this company as to the
manner in which this money is expended.
propose that the amount stipulated shall
be placed 10 the hands of some trustee to
he paid to contractors ON these buildings
on the joint order 1T the officers of this
compuny and u committee Of your citi-
gems If this plan is followed 10 good
faith both by your committee aud the OH
GERS OF the company. both parties TO the
arran. ement will have EQUAL protection
and guarantee That stipularions ups n
which the work is being done is fully
complied with.
The inquiry has been male by several
or your cit;z ms as 10 the number of men
which this arrangement would locate IN
your city ard the amount of money which
these men receive per month as wnges
from this company. You will see that 1t
Is no' p'ssible for me 10 answer accurate.
ly these inquiries The company now
oHns thirty-three engines and some five
hundred carr; rs this equipment grows
older The amount of repairs aud the
number of men Employed IL keep
II IN, order VIII he largely increas-
ed. lnn can obtain an approximate
knowledge 1T he benefits winch these
work. will be H. your city 10y invcstiga
ting The results ~ the lncatini of similar
shops in like CITIES both in your Site and
elsewhere. To understand what wi he
the ultimate benefits Ia your civ YOU
should ascertain what benefits such places
10 AVhbt, outNTOIs OluiNi hdlluS anu
Battle Creek in your Stale and Norwalk.
Newark and other cities in Ohio have dc
rived from tue location of similar works
in these towns. In order to secure he
works of the NJ 'chigan Central road | un-
derstand that jackson donated some fifty
or sixty acres OF land and one bundred
thousand dollars in money: that Battle
Greek. donated some thirty Or forty acres
IF Ia AID 6f,x. II Il.
ey; NorwalS donated some forty acres of
land and sixty thousand dollars in money.
These figures may not be exactly accur-
ale but are approximately so and will in
dictate to you the efforts which oihrr cities
Of like size with your own have put forth
IL order To secure similar works.
+ II these shops are located in your city
it will be necessary to make Owosso the
eLd OF both the southern aud northern Iii
visions; If this is done your city will be
the home of as many as SEVENTY. five per
cent of ali the enginemen, firemen, con-
ductors and brakemen as we'll as all of the
men employed in the repair shops proper.
The pay roll of these employees at present
amounts to between seven and ten thous-
and dollars per month.
These men are well paid and can afford
most cases become permanent residents of
your city.
/ wish to call attention of your taxpay
ers to the difference in the value of these
works to your city as compared with any
mercantile or general manufacturing
works of like size and which employs a
like number OF men and paying the same
amount of money on its pay roll If you
induce manufacturing establishment to
locate in your city it is not improbable
that for some years or during the time
that there is demand for bis product in
the market his location will be of as much
value 10 your community rs the location
of these works but in the time of business
depression or want of demand for the
particular articles which this manufacture
er has to dispose Of the number of men in
his. employ necessarily decreases or his
works are closed altogether; in either
event your community loses part or the
whole OF the benefit which you sought to
derive from securing the location of this
business. With railroad property the re-
verse OF this prisciplc is true; the repairs
and rene walls on engines and cars depend
upon the number OF miles it is necessary
to run them and not on the amount of
money which the company earns from the
service 1t the company is unable TO meet
its obligations 1t is not permitted to with
draw its trains but is compelled to operate
its road and to pay its labor, even whtn
the capital invested does not obtain any
returns; so that in general decline of bus
mess or in case of financial failure on part
OF railroad company thesbenefits which
city obtains by reason of location of the
repair shops continues.
have l,cen asked what security the
could offer that the works would
continue to be operated rs the principal
repair works Of the company in the event
that the present ownership was transferred
or that the bondhol,lers take possession Of
the property ON account of the inability
of the present company to meet its obliga-
tons. am authorized to make contract
with your city which will bind this com
pany so long as the present organization
is maintained. IL does not affect your in
tercsts whether the present management
is operating the road so long as any future
under this company Is bound
by any contract which sign as its man
aging officer. In the event that new
organization is formed by reason of the